


The Lullaby's Whisperer

by Hanabiie



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:54:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23186599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hanabiie/pseuds/Hanabiie
Summary: A tale of life and death.
Relationships: Kim Minji | JiU/Lee Siyeon
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	1. Prologue

There was a legend --- 

That some billion years ago, the ruler of the world wanted to sculpt a perfect world where all commoners would come together to build a home and live together in harmony --- no poverty, no crimes and no unhappiness. Love and peace arose and people would live a long life ahead, and the practice would be inherited by their descendants to be passed down centuries after centuries.

But in a world where nature had been ruling long before the birth of the first human, perfection doesn't exist. Beyond the facade, the seemingly perfect formation started to crack and it soon upset the balance of the nature. Chains of disasters struck and everything started to fall apart very quickly. Millions of years of efforts to build a perfect world was instantly diminished into ashes, bringing the world back to a square one.

Wherever there are smiles, there come sadness; wherever there is kindness, there comes evil; wherever there are ambitions, there come greed; wherever there are peace, there come war and wherever there is life, there comes death.

And the seed that was buried ultimately found its way to its owner, where the ruler would spend a long and lonely lifetime reaping what he had sowed...


	2. Dream Guardians

The world has a population of 7.7 billion people. Every one second, four new lives are brought into the world while two are taken away. 

Deaths are common, just like births, they are an inevitable part of nature and life that is required for the continuation of humanity. It signifies redemption, it signifies being free of your past life so that one can reincarnate and move on to embark on a new beginning into their next life.

So, Minji doesn't really understand the sorrow that the humans have always displayed upon the realisation that they are dead. Nor does she understand why the livings cry and mourn so much for the dead during funerals. Are deaths supposed to be sad? She doesn't think so. Instead, deaths should be rejoiced and celebrated.

Acceptance is the key ---

_Don't question, don't resist._

But humans don't seem to understand, and their insistence surprises her sometimes, leading them to uncover truth that they shouldn't know and do foolish things that they are not supposed to do. In the end, Minji, like many other Dream Guardians, is the one who will always have to clean up the aftermath of their deeds.

Accidents, abuse, murder, suicide or illness; there is nothing that Minji hasn't seen or heard about before. The middle-aged woman whose eyes were filled with vengeance after being stabbed to death by her own husband didn't scare her. The crying child who was dragged away by the Grim Reaper from his living parents after being knocked down by a car didn't falter her. Even with the recent appearance of the devastated high school girl who was brutally raped and murdered, she remained indifferent.

Minji can only pray on behalf of them that she won't be the one to chance upon any of them roaming in the streets of the living world or trying to enter their loved ones' dreams after their 49 days are up. Because crossing path with her when they are not supposed to isn't going to be a pretty sight.

It has been known ---

That she shows no mercy; and she lacks empathy.

Perhaps it is because Minji has been dead for so long already that she is starting to lose touch with how living actually feels like. Now, she only thinks that humans are pathetic --- to be unable to disconcern themselves with the living matters and rest in peace even after they had departed. A long way into history would have taught them that feelings and emotions are unnecessary baggages and yet, they still chose to make the same mistake. Worst of all, they never learn.

Then again...

In this vast universe, who is she, an insignificant and irrelevant non-living being who doesn't have a slightest idea about her own origin to make a judgment on the living world?

How did Minji die? Why is she still here? What are the answers that she has been searching for? There are many missing pieces in the puzzle that she doesn't know where to start from. Even a simple question like who was she in her past life troubles her.

And all that's left are fragments of scenes that will occasionally flash across her mind and a mysterious face that has been haunting her for a long time. Even if she desperately wants to hold onto those scattered pieces, those memories are starting to fade away like ashes as time passes by, as if they don't matter.

If only they really don't matter.

Maybe someday, eventually, they won't anymore.

Minji has waited for close to a thousand years anyway. Another thousand years of waiting probably isn't going to prove her patience wrong (although she knows that she doesn't have any more of a thousand years). But what if it's for an eternity... she can only wonder just how long is an eternity going to last for?

"Do you regret not letting him go?" The sudden intruder breaks her train of thoughts as Minji turns around, only to find Bora leisurely strolling towards her into the Library of Nightmares, where giant shelves of jars which contain captured souls who had been lingering in the living world even though their 49 days were up (also known as Nightmares) are stacked neatly against one another. Those jars, so densely packed and towering over them can be quite intimidating if one is here alone during the night. It feels as if the Nightmares are constantly watching you, constantly waiting for a time to strike.

"I don't do regrets." Minji's voice remains monotonous, and her gaze moves and locks onto Bora's, holding their eye contact for longer than usual as if she is trying to prove that she is telling the truth before finally averting away. Even so, Bora still manages to catch a tinge of pity from the pair of eyes that is now stiff on a particular jar of Nightmare. 

Another poor soul that Minji has caught last night.

Leukaemia had cruelly taken the seven years-old boy away from the world. Simply far too young and too early.

"He just misses his mum, like how I used to miss my grandmother," Bora speaks up as she recalls that day (how many hundreds years ago, she can't remember) when she was supposed to leave with the Grim Reaper. Even though her grandmother was the only one who was mourning for her death, witnessing the heartbreaking sight of her crying still makes her heart ache no matter how much she thinks about it. She even nearly caused a great havoc if not for Minji who had stopped her in time. If Minji was able to close an eye on Bora's incident, why can't she do the same for the others as well?

"Still, he broke the rule. His 49 days were long over. He shouldn't be there."

Bora crosses her arms, "He didn't harm anyone."

But Minji doesn't think so.

A Nightmare, regardless of whether it has caused harm or not, as long as it is still roaming freely in the living world and interfering with the humans' affairs, there will be troubles. Just like the boy, if he continues to appear in his mum's dream everyday, she wouldn't be able to move on with her life. One should live for the future instead of the past. It is meaningless to dwell on things that can't be changed anymore. Humanity isn't made for that.

"Your belief is going to prove you wrong just like how it did to me. To me, he is no different from the rest." Minji let out a non-chalant shrug as she turns, preparing to walk her way towards the door. She doesn't really care what others think about her --- be it heartless, unfeeling, cold or any other names that she hasn't heard of yet. All she knows is that explanations are exhausting.

"You've changed, Minji."

The sudden remark halts Minji in her steps. Has she? "Then maybe it's time for you to know me all over again."

*******

"How is the progress of the task that I've assigned to you?"

The Master clad in the black robe speaks in a low tone with great authority as she walks down the hall towards the end where her throne is situated between the only two burning torches that one can find in the whole cave. Lights are strictly not allowed in the Shadowers' House.

"It has been successful so far."

"Mmm, execute it with more caution. The guardians are keeping a pretty close eyes on the movements of our Shadowers these days. Maybe you should recruit more Nightmares." The Master pauses her words as she beckons the other with a finger to come closer. And when the Master places her palm on her shoulder to straighten the crumpled collars, the shoulders of the other went stiff for a moment at the sharp fingernails before gradually relaxing against the gentle touch. "You are my favourite right-hand person, Seo. Do not disappoint me."

"I won't dare to, my Lady," the timid voice trembles. "You can wait for my good news."

"Good," The Master smirks, pleased at the words, as she grabs the other's head and plants a chaste kiss on her forehead. The girl always know the right words into her heart. Everything comes all too easy. "Bear with it for a little while more, my child. In no time, darkness will rise again and the universe will ultimately belong to us."

*******

"Arg, I'm so pissed off!"

The summer heat in the afternoon is getting warmer and warmer by seconds. Temperatures are rising not because of the scorching sun that is hanging high up in the sky but by the shrieks of frustration that are constantly emitted in the little warehouse by the two friends, Siyeon and Yoohyeon, mostly the latter who has been engaging in a meaningless game battle. Because they kept losing.

"They're attacking me!"

"Kim Yoohyeon, to your left, to your left!" Siyeon bellows into the monitor at the incoming enemies as she quickly makes an escape towards the center of the map.

"Help me! Lee Siyeon!"

"Come to where I am now. This territory is ours, they can't enter!" Siyeon commands calmly, with her fingers moving swiftly across the keyboard as she throws a series of air trap into the enemies' base, trying to distract them so that she can save her teammate. But more enemies come over and the protection on their new territory is soon destroyed. She plans to escape but finds herself trapped on the same spot by a witch's spell.

_D.E.F.E.A.T._

"Oh my god, Lee Siyeon! You should have come and save me first!" Yoohyeon groans, finally has had enough as she removes her headset and bangs her head onto the cushion, creating a huge dent onto it. "I'm not playing anymore," She raises her hands up in defeat. "This is so devastating. No teamwork at all."

"Wow, look at who is speaking right now about teamwork," Siyeon scoffs in disbelief as she throws a cushion at the girl who always doesn't want to admit that she is in the wrong. "I told you to buff up your defense! You're a tanker and you're supposed to follow me around instead of running away by yourself!"

"I'm trying to increase our resources!"

"But you left me to fend for myself?"

"Fine, fine," Yoohyeon sighs and rolls her eyes. "I get it. You are always right."

"Loser Kim Yoohyeon," Siyeon mocks as she sticks a tongue out, which only infuriates the receiver further.

Feeling indignant, Yoohyeon stands up abruptly and slams her palm onto the computer desk, "I have had enough of your insults, Lee Siyeon!" Her voice cracks through the afternoon dullness, so loud that Siyeon can feel the ground beneath her shakes. "I want a solo match with you. 1 vs 1. Do you dare to accept this challenge?"

Siyeon only smirks at this idea. Too simple and too easy. Is the girl trying to court her own death? Nevertheless, she will accept it because there can only be one winner.

"Bring it on, my friend." 

The competition is intense and the tension is running high. Siyeon has won the first round by constantly upgrading her weapons and attacking Yoohyeon with special skills. It was an easy and straightforward win. That's why Siyeon never thought that she would be defeated by the girl on the second round after walking right into her traps.

"You actually won?" Siyeon is speechless but impressed at the same time. Yoohyeon has indeed picked up some useful tactic. That's what people called, 'One mountain is higher than another mountain.'

A smug shows up on Yoohyeon's face, "Scared now?"

"Are you using Defense again?" Siyeon asks with a pair of squinting eyes as she leans closer to the girl, trying to test the water. Now that the girl has learnt some tricks, she can't belittle her now.

"Does it matter?"

"Wow, confident, girl."

"Say no more, Lee Siyeon. It's time to battle it out!"

Yoohyeon has a perfect plan in her head. Since she can't win Siyeon's character with direct attacks, she will focus on building up a defense system around her base and at the same time, accumulating materials for the atomic bombs.

"Are you prepared to face the defeat?" Yoohyeon let out a dry laughter, trying to intimidate her competitor.

But Siyeon remains unfazed as she focuses on upgrading her skills as usual, "Never in my life. You should be asking yourself that instead."

"Don't worry about me. I'm doing very fine." Yoohyeon says as she sticks a tongue out, mimicking the mockery that she has received earlier. It's time for payback. "As for you, don't be too sad if you lose later, okay? Life is about learning to pick yourself up after you fall."

"Wow," Siyeon let out a gasp and shakes her head as she can't believe her ears.

Doesn't the last sentence sound familiar? She remembers saying it to Yoohyeon after an inter-class relay race where the latter had caused them to lose after falling down near the finishing line. She even cried that day.

How ungrateful is it now for Yoohyeon to be using those words against her.

"You're totally dead, Lee Siyeon. I'm almost done with my bombs," Yoohyeon warns, feeling excited.

Siyeon immediately let out a grin of victory, her guess was right afterall. Yoohyeon may be tactful but she still lacks experience. Experience always surpasses anything. "I knew it! You were making bombs but I'm afraid that you might not have to chance to watch them fly!"

"Eh---,"

Suddenly, just as the battle is about to reach its peak, both of their computer screen goes black. Out of panic, Siyeon gives the hardware a few slaps (although she knows that she shouldn't do that) before trying to turn it on again but to no avail. They groan at the sudden blackout. Victory was so close. "What the hell?? Why has it stopped working?"

"Lee Siyeon! Kim Yoohyeon!"

The voice that has suddenly penetrated into the room makes them jump up simultaneously and their frustration diminish immediately at the sight of their other best friend. Only fear is left.

Lee Yubin, the last member of the high school trio, although has always topped the school with excellent results every year and comes from a rich family, miraculously get along well with Siyeon and Yoohyeon, whose circumstances are the complete opposite of hers. The three of them were under the same team for a school project and somehow, they have been sticking together since then all the way until now.

"Omo," Siyeon let out an awkward smile as she clutches onto her racing heart. "You gave us a scare."

"Yeah, Yubin, next time don't shout like that," Yoohyeon echoes the same sentiment as she runs her hand down Siyeon's back to calm her down.

A frown of displeasure shows up on Yubin's face as she crosses her arms, "Then may I ask, with all courtesy, why were the both of you not in lecture today?"

"Errm..."

Perhaps in many people's eyes, Yubin may seem small (her nickname is small bean) and harmless, she can be very intimidating when she is angry. Like right now, Siyeon and Yoohyeon can see fumes coming out of her nostrils as if she is controlling herself not to skin them alive.

*******

"Hey, your best friend is angry," Siyeon whispers as she nudges Yoohyeon. 

They are in a food market, and yes they are here for dinner but one can easily tell the disharmony between them. Siyeon and Yoohyeon are walking on eggshells as they trail behind the angry girl with a fairly calculated distance, like students who are being punished for misbehaving..

"Nah, she's yours."

"Go talk to her."

"No, Lee Siyeon, you do it," Yoohyeon insists, her eyes never leaving the pair of boots walking in front of them, whose pace gradually increases as they continue pushing the responsibility to the other. "I think she likes you better."

Until it comes to an abrupt halt.

And they too, stop.

Yubin turns around with a troubled expression, both arms on her waist as she charges towards the two girls. And they retreat. Her eyes dart over to Yoohyeon first, whose hand inches closer to Siyeon's as if she is asking for a comrade's help, which she is refused. Deciding that she can't bring the harsh words to her mouth, Yubin switches her target to the other girl. But that doesn't work either as Siyeon just stares straight into her eyes and put on her sincerest smile without any sense of remorse. Yubin balls her fist and stomps her feet onto the ground in frustration.

The two girls will be the death of her one day.

"Relax, Yubin, it's not that of a big deal."

"Right, it's just school," Yoohyeon joins in and casually put an arm around Yubin's shoulders, only to be met with a pair of death glare. She immediately retrieves her action before she is being burnt to death. "Take a look at the world, Yubin. It's so huge. There are so many more much interesting thing to do than just studying."

"Then what's the point of enrolling into college if you are not interested in studying, you tell me?" Yubin questions.

"That's because you told us to..."

"Oh?" Yubin scoffs. "So now it's my fault?!"

The sudden commotion causes the passers-by and stall owners to turn their attention onto the arguing trio.

"Oh no, of course not, Yubin," Siyeon quickly comes in between the two girls before the argument gets worse. "Don't listen to Kim Yoohyeon," And Siyeon shoos Yoohyeon away with an eye signal. "This girl doesn't even know how to appreciate your effort but I know, okay? I totally understand how worried you are for us."

"You are another one, Lee Siyeon."

"What?" Siyeon gives a non-chalant shrug on her shoulders as she she tries to act like she doesn't know what the girl is talking about.

Yubin points a finger at the dumb-founded girl, "What what? Don't try to use sweet talk on me. It doesn't work."

"Uhh..."

Then, she pushes up the glasses that's sliding down her nose bridge as she continues to stare at the two girls, her death glare intensifies, making sure that they have received the warning of not to mess with her, before turning away and scurrying off.

"Hey, Yubin, wait up!" Siyeon calls out and nudges Yoohyeon to quickly catch up with her. "I thought we were going to have dinner together?"

*******

"That's why she is always angry at you, Kim Yoohyeon. You're too honest. You need to learn to observe her expressions and say the right word," Siyeon continues her nagging on their way home as she throws a nut up in the air, trying to catch it with her mouth, only to fail badly, eliciting a hysterical laughter from the other girl.

"You think it's funny?"

The dinner earlier on was eerily quiet and nerve-wrecking. Siyeon and Yoohyeon watched in fear as dishes after dishes were being put onto the table, as if Yubin was trying to gobble up the whole eatery. Not that they minded though since the richest girl would be the one paying in the end.

"It's not my fault that she can't handle the truth," Yoohyeon says as she signals Siyeon to throw another nut towards her instead. It's her turn to perform. She opens her mouth and fixes her gaze on the nut in Siyeon's hand, blindly following it for a while but the other girl still isn't throwing it. "Hey, are you going to throw it or not?"

"Yeah, yeah, I was going to! Don't move!"

But the nut remains in Siyeon's hand for a long time and only when a muffled laughter rings in her ears, does Yoohyeon realise that she is taking her for a ride.

"Are you a dog?" Siyeon asks teasingly.

Yoohyeon reaches out for the nuts in Siyeon's hand and throws them at the owner, "Yeah, right, if I'm a dog, then you're a pig, Lee Siyeon. All you do is eat and eat! Aren't you full from the dinner just now?"

"A dog and a pig makes a great friendship." Siyeon winks.

A frown of dismay shows up on Yoohyeon's face, feeling disgusted, the crease between her brows so deep to the point that her face looks distorted, "Ew, you're really annoying, Lee Siyeon."

"Love you, Yoohyeon."

It is dark but they have already been used to it. Cars are rarely seen especially in a rural city like this, unless there are outside visitors from the main city, Seoul or other countries. The row of flickering street lamps that usually accompany them home also haven't been fixed for years already, probably due to the scarce supply of electricity.

But the laughter and jokes from the two friends still continue on down onto the long stretch of empty pavement until they finally have to part ways.

*******

"That girl is alone now, Leader Seo." A low voice emerges from the corner of the alley, the curvy figure totally camouflaged into the eerie darkness.

"Kim Minji is also around the corner," Another voice speaks up right after. "Now is a good time."

"Mmm, set the bats off. Right now."

*******

The night has been really quiet these days. One look across the wide road comes up nothing, only darkness and silence, whereas in the past, Minji can still hear the rattles of the crows. It is hard to find a Nightmare roaming around the streets these days, either these souls have learnt their lessons or that they have become better in hiding. Minji believes in the latter. What's more, the lack of light makes it so much easier for them.

A breeze of cold wind shutters past her shoulders.

Minji shivers at the contact, her vigilant eyes become extra focused as they start to dart around her surroundings with all the possible scenarios flashing across her mind.

Then, another cold breeze comes.

"Who?" Minji is enraged as she takes a defensive stance with a widely-spreaded legs. "Show yourself now!"

A cauldron of bats soars past the head of the lone guardian. Fearing attacks, Minji squats down and watches them fly directly towards the blocked path before maneuvering to the right into the alley. A troubled frown fills her face. The presence of bats is not a good sign, especially dead bats. According to legend, they are a reflection of evil who steals ages and lives with the motive to live again. They only appear when death that isn't supposed to happen is near.

It can only mean one thing --- a Shadower is here.

Sensing troubles, Minji picks up her speed and follows the bats' direction into the alley.

"Arg! Oh my god! Help! Help!"

_A human's scream?_

The flying creatures huddle together in a circle, echoing shrieks of terror and sending the ground beneath them shaking. The poor human, probably too frightened by the chaos in her surroundings brings her hands up to cover her ears as she collapses onto the ground and continues to scream. Minji balls her hand into a fist and gathers the energy from the ground before releasing it in the air to destroy the bonds of the bats, only for them to gather together again. She tries to silence their shrieks but they only get louder.

And it's weird, that they are not responding to her attacks.

From her peripheral view, Minji sees a rooster peeking out of the chicken coop of a farmhouse. An idea pops up in her mind right at the moment. _Too bad, buddy._ She snaps her finger and blocks the human's larynx, temporary muting her. Then, with another snap of her fingers, the crowing of the rooster reverberates and the bats flock over.

The crowing weakens and dies down eventually.

And the bats finally leave.

Her speculation was right; seems like they only respond to the livings and their sounds.

A suppressed voice, trying to get any words out breaks Minji's train of thoughts as she turns around to the poor human who is still on the ground. She has forgotten to release her larynx. With a snap of her fingers, the vocal pipes open and the human begins coughing loudly into the air as she grasps onto her throat.

_As usual, humans are weaklings_ , Minji thinks as she scoffs at the sight. She didn't even use that much of a force.

Turning around, Minji was preparing to leave when she hears a trembling voice from behind.

"Who are you?"

Halting her steps, Minji returns her gaze to the human, feeling extremely mystified, just to make sure that she isn't hearing things. Is she calling her? Then, she sees the human's teary eyes staring straight into hers.

The frown on her face deepens.

_How? How is she able to see her?_


	3. Who Are You

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god..."

Siyeon hustles down the pavement as she tries to calm her racing heart down, clasping her palms together and begins chanting prayers. She doesn't dare to look back thinking that the lady just now is probably still following her behind her back. The path back home from the crossroads that she has parted way with Yoohyeon usually only took fifteen minutes but now, she feels as if she has been walking for a very, very long time --- passing by crops, fields, shophouses and various road signs but just not her house. And her pace quickens with fear as each second passes by, because she knows that as long as she is still outside in the darkness, there will be danger.

_Why were there some flying things chasing her just now?_

_Who the hell was that lady in white?_

_And that rooster... oh god..._

Her head is bursting. Everything that has happened to her just now seems so unreal that she can't find any logical explanations for them.

Just then, she feels a gentle tap on the right side of her shoulders. Her heart stops. Her footsteps halt immediately and her stiff body freezes not daring to move even an inch away from her spot. Her hands shakily find their way to her mouth, trying to muffle any voice or scream that she fears might be let out uncontrollably. And her eyes quickly shut, silently braving herself for what is going to happen next.

"Lee Siyeon!" The familiar voice rings in her ears.

_Eh...?_

"Hey, earth to Lee Siyeon!" A waving palm gradually appears from her peripheral view, followed by the sight of a foolishly grinning Yoohyeon. "Oh my god, look at your face!" Then the girl starts to laugh without a care in the world. "Did you see a ghost or something?"

The fear is in Siyeon's heart instantly dissipates and she is more than relieved, if not grateful by her best friend's appearance, especially at this uncanny hour. She quickly get herself together and put up a straight face, hoping that the other girl won't see through the facade, "What? You suddenly tapped my shoulder in the middle of the night when there's supposed to be nobody, of course I would be a little surprised!"

"Hmm but your face..." Yoohyeon's voice trails off as she leans in a little closer teasingly to observe the other's expression. "Doesn't look like it's just a little though..."

"Come closer if you dare, Kim Yoohyeon," Siyeon challenges the girl as she puckers her lips.

Yoohyeon immediately takes a huge step backwards in disgust, "Oh no, I know you like girls but please control your hormones. I haven't had my first kiss yet."

Siyeon chuckles at the panicking girl who is often too easily triggered. She recalls their teacher telling them about how liking the opposite gender was not acceptable in the past and that her teacher's great-grandmother would often have to date secretly so that their families and friends wouldn't find out. There were also stories about how same gender marriage was illegal and people would rally to fight for their rights. Whereas in times like now, liking girls or boys doesn't matter. Liking the opposite genders has become a very common sight and people are encouraged to love freely which Siyeon is grateful for.

And she wonders what Yoohyeon sexual orientation is. As far as she knows, she hasn't heard the girl saying about showing any interest in anyone before since high school till now. Is she perhaps aromantic?

"Oh yah, weren't you going home? Why did you turn back?" Siyeon asks when she suddenly recalls Yoohyeon's coincidental appearance.

A long red string of something that resembles a necklace is lifted out from Yoohyeon's pocket, "Someone left something with me."

Siyeon immediately reaches her hand out to her chest and realises that it is indeed not there.

"Why is my amulet with you?"

_No wonder..._ Now she understands why she encountered so many weird things just now... It was all because she didn't have her amulet with her.

"You dropped it when we were having dinner just now," Yoohyeon explains and lays out the both end of the strings that had broken into two, eliciting a gasp from the other girl. "Luckily I saw and pick it up."

Siyeon immediately snatches the amulet over, "And you didn't think about returning it to me?"

"Well..." Yoohyeon let out a sheepish grin as she eyes the other girl warily. "I wanted to prank you, you see..."

Siyeon scoffs in disbelief, "Wow, you wanted to prank me?" And she ties the two ends into a knot before hooking the amulet onto her neck again. "This amulet is really important to me. If you lose it, you can't pay me back even with money!"

"How important can it be? Isn't it just like a paper origami?"

"You won't understand even if I tell you."

"Tch, whatever."

Seeing that the amulet is safely back onto Siyeon's neck, Yoohyeon turns around and was prepared to head for home when an arm grabs tightly onto her, "What?" A worried frown finds its way onto her face as she senses some troubles ahead. "I've returned you your amulet."

"Let me stay the night at your house."

Yoohyeon is puzzled, "Why so sudden?"

"Ah, I don't feel like going home tonight," Siyeon lies as she carefully eyes the total darkness that is surrounding them. Honestly, she is afraid that the lady will follow her home although what she said is also part of the reasons. There hasn't been a time when she hasn't think about leaving home. "You live alone anyway."

"I'm okay with it but won't your dad be angry?" Yoohyeon asks with a softened gaze, feeling rather concerned, knowing that Siyeon's father can be over-controlling.

There was once when the three of them went for an two days and one night trip to an offshore island and Siyeon's father almost beaten her to death when she came home. They never mentioned about that incident in front of Siyeon again as they weren't sure if she wanted to talk about it.

"Come on, Yoohyeon, I'm a college student now, nineteen years old and an adult!" Siyeon gives Yoohyeon an 'are-you-serious' kind of look as she nudges the girl playfully. "I'm no longer a daddy's girl. Why would I still care if he's angry or not? Maybe the past me would but not now. Trust me, it's totally fine. I will just text him later."

Frankly speaking, Yoohyeon doesn't fully believe in Siyeon's words. After knowing the girl for four years since high school and spending so much time together, she is able to tell when the girl is telling the truth or not. Call it intuition or best friend's feelings, or maybe because they have similar personalities, she is able to understand Siyeon easily like an open book. Yubin even called them twins sometimes.

Stubborn, sensitive, guarded and a little egotistic but yet optimistic and always remaining hopeful in times of difficult situations.

Sometimes, it feels like she is seeing her own reflection in Siyeon. The only difference is, Siyeon is more willing to open up and see things from different point of views, which Yoohyeon can't even after all these while.

"Hmm, I thought so!" Yoohyeon says with a cheerful smile as she decides to play along. "Okay, I shall let you stay the night but let me say this first, you sleep on the floor."

"Oh why? Aren't we best friend?" Siyeon whines as she latches herself shamelessly onto Yoohyeon's arms like a kitten yearning for attention. "We can share."

Feeling slightly disturbed, Yoohyeon pulls away from the girl and raises her arms up in defeat, "Arg, fine, fine! But you can't take all the blanket! I will freeze to death."

"Yes, boss. I will listen to you."

"Be grateful, my slave--- Awh! Ouch!" Yoohyeon let out a yelp when she feels a hard slap lands on her arm. "Watch your strength, Lee Siyeon!"

Siyeon pulls her sleeves up like she is ready to fight, "Who are you calling a slave again, Kim Yoohyeon?"

"Of course it's you!"

"Do you want to die?!"

"So do you still want to stay the night or not?" Yoohyeon threatens as she raises a knowing brow at the girl, totally aware that she has the upper hand right now, of course she has to cherish this opportunity.

Siyeon immediately reaches out to Yoohyeon's backpack and carry it on her shoulder before smiling, "I'm sure you can feel my sincerity now."

And Yoohyeon can also see the daggers behind that smile that's waiting to attack her in the morning.

"Not enough," Yoohyeon clears her throat as she speaks. "I think... I feel a little offended just now by your words. Shouldn't you say sorry? Unless---,"

"I'm sorry."

"Pfft," Yoohyeon tries to suppress her laughter but her effort clearly failed when she sees the reluctant look on Siyeon's face, as if she has regretted all her life decisions.

The 'sorry' simply came too fast.

"Very good," Yoohyeon mimicks the voice of an arrogant CEO that she has learnt from the tv. She is having too much fun with the situation. "Don't disobey me, my _slave_."

She can deal with the consequences later in the morning.

*******

Minji observes the two girls closely as she has hidden herself in the bush and only comes out when they finally decides to leave. She exhales a deep sigh she watches the figures disappear into the darkness. Humans simply like to talk too much.

So their names are Lee Siyeon and Kim Yoohyeon.

But... _Lee Siyeon? Human?_

There is a lot to wonder about her.

Minji was following so closely behind Siyeon and given the frantic escape of the latter, everything could have turned out right with just a little scare. She could have gotten her answers easily if it wasn't for Kim Yoohyeon, that daring human who had suddenly veered into her course. What a pity. Humans always like to mess up everything, don't they?

_"Who are you?"_

The fragile voice and the sight of the vulnerable human could not leave Minji's mind. She tries not to think about it but every time she did, more and more questions pop up in her mind. Just who is she? Why can she see her?

The anxiousness is killing her.

_*******_

_"Oh, you've finally woken up..."_

_"Where..." The figure on the bed sits herself up slowly as she breathes heavily. "Where am I?"_

_"You're in the Snow Inn, Heroine."_

_"What...?" She clutches onto her throbbing head at the sharp pain that suddenly invades. "Urg, my head..."_

_"Don't move around. You are still very weak."_

People always say, in order to find a way out of darkness, one must always hold onto the belief that at the end of every tunnel, there will always be light. The only way out is to look at the bright side and keep on hoping, and to be patient because eventually, time will prove everything and all the answers will fall into place naturally. 

_"The Princess," The heroine panicks when she realises the loss of a company by her side and grabs onto the owner's arms anxiously. "Did you see the Princess? Where is she?"_

_"The Princess---,"_

_"I'm here," Another figure strolls into the inn with a small bowl in her hand. She approaches the heroine with a warm smile and sits onto the bed beside her. "The Physician told me that this medicine is good for your recovery," Then, she scoops a mouthful of the herbal medicine and blows onto the hot soup before sending it into the heroine's mouth. "I brew this for hour. You must finish it."_

_"I will listen to everything you say, my Princess," The heroine smiles, relieved as she grasps onto the other's hand and gives it an assuring squeeze._

To move forward is to hope, Minji once thought so too. But there will be a breaking point where the once infinite-time will run out, and so will hope. Just like the many other souls who are still roaming around the living world, they continue to co-exist with their loved ones, some wanting to protect them, some unable to let go of them and some don't want to be left behind... But nobody can defeat nature. As time moves forward and people move on, their time only stop at the day they left the living world. Soon, their existence will be wiped off from the living world and forgotten, along with the memories that they had in their past life. And after a thousand year of wandering aimlessly around the living world without an answer, their souls will ultimately vanish entirely from the universe. 

_"Will you stay with me forever?" The princess asks one day._

_"What do you think?" The heroine pulls the oblivious princess onto the bed with her and places a kiss onto her hand. "Don't ever doubt my love for you, my Princess."_

_"But what if there's no forever here?"_

_"Hmm... then we will leave and go to a place far, far away from here where no one can find us." The heroine says and circles her arms around the princess's waist, the nice fruity scent sends a smile onto her lips. "And we won't need to hide. I can show you all my love whenever I want."_

_The princess giggles and put out a pinky finger, "It's a promise? After you recover?"_

_"Yes, it is a promise."_

_"Let's build a house together and we can live there peacefully. I want to turn the backyard into a garden of flowers like my favourite lilies and sunflowers and....."_

_._

_".....We can also open a small eatery in the town. You know how to cook the best dumplings...."_

.

_"I love you....live happily forever....."_

.

_".....I'm in a lot of pain, Minji."_

.

_"Help me please....."_

.

_"ARGHH!!! HELP ME!!!"_

Tick Tock. Tick Tock. Tick Tock. TIck. Tock.

A series of heavy breaths echo in the thin air.

Snow Inn, injuries, herbal soup, princess, forever, promise, whatever they are... All of them, everything, they've disappeared. They are gone. There is nothing. What's left are the sounds of the ticking clock and a sea of darkness that is clouding around her.

And a mysterious face and voice.

Minji only sighs as she evens out her breathings.

Hope... how cruel and dangerous is that? How can you understand how losing someone feels like when you don't even remember experiencing it before?

_*******_

The next morning arrives so quickly that Siyeon doesn't think that she actually manages to catch any glimpse of sleep at all. She stretches her lazy arm out to silent the annoying alarm. Her head hurts badly. What's worse is the lack of sunlight into the room as the windows are all protected firmly by curtains, making the dimly-lit room a good condition to fall back into sleep. (Siyeon asked Yoohyeon once and the latter said that she like her room dark.) They shouldn't have stayed up so late to play games.

"Kim Yoohyeon, wake up!" Siyeon let out a yawn and slaps the sleeping girl's butt multiple time. How can she be sleeping so peacefully like a log after cursing so much in the matches yesterday? Unbelievable. "We need to go to school today. We promised Yubin."

Yoohyeon stirs, subconsciously wrapping her body with the blanket as she groans, "Urg, screw Lee Yubin. She is so annoying."

Siyeon giggles as she cuddles against the girl, "Yeah, yeah, make sure I hear you telling her that later."

The journey to school is laborious especially when they are walking under the merciless scorching sun. Birds are chirping away freely and their flight around the area seems to have painted merriness across the gloomy morning sky. And Siyeon's heart instantly brightens at the sight.

Whenever there are birds, there will be eggs. Wherever there are eggs, there will be money.

"Here I come!!"

Spotting a crowd of birds gathered at a tree, Siyeon picks up a stone and throws it onto the tree which then hits the branch with a loud _thud_ and instantly scares the birds away. This always works. She then swiftly climbs onto the tree and steals the unprotected eggs on the nest.

"Hey, be careful," Yoohyeon warns as she watches her friend slides down, not that this is their first time but she always get anxious whenever Siyeon pulls such a dangerous stunt like this.

In times like these when real food are scarce and people in the city are starting to produce artificial food due to exhaustion of resources, these eggs straight from a bird's womb can definitely fetch a good price. Stealing is wrong, of course, teachers had taught them that since elementary school but everyone is doing it, resulting in the already scarce resources getting lesser and lesser each day. Local authorities were alerted to catch the thieves but they were too, overwhelmed by their own sympathies for the thieves' same state of poverty and chose let them go.

In the end, stealing is not wrong because everyone is doing it. What's wrong is being poor.

"Mmm," Siyeon grins satisfactorily at the return on her cap while holding them close to her chest, afraid that someone would suddenly jump out and steal the loot from them. "Not bad, we got five eggs today."

"Come on, let's sell them to the merchant first."

The morning route takes a detour and the two girls come out of the merchant's shop, smiling from eye to eye at the cash notes in their hand which is enough to provide them a week worth of food. And the teasings yesterday are finally revenged and repaid when Yoohyeon is now the one carrying Siyeon's backpack.

An eye for an eye.

"Argh! My chicken!" The howl of the farmhouse's ahjumma shakes the neighbourhood.

"Omo!" A series of gasps of horror follows after as the neighbours gather around the ahjumma's house. "Who would be so heartless to have done this?"

"This is so sick!"

"Have you offended anyone recently?"

The memories of yesterday's incident strikes. Siyeon quickly lowers her cap and quickens her pace as she passes by the farmhouse, her gaze fixated onto the ground below her. She just wants to leave and avoid the farmhouse as far as possible. What if someone else actually saw what happened yesterday and manages to recognise her? The whole thing makes her nauseous.

"Poor chicken," Yoohyeon comments as she actively nudges for Siyeon to look at the commotion. "Ew, look at the mess, there's so much blood over the fence... Why would someone do this?"

"Mmm..."

"But then again... it's actually not that bad, at least that ahjumma has food tonight."

They are close to passing by the slaughtered rooster and Siyeon manages to keep her gaze onto the ground for all these while but the continuous nudges from the other girl makes it impossible, forcing her to turn her head towards the crime scene. Squinting her eyes, Siyeon tries not to look too much and when she was about to avert her gaze away, she catches a glimpse of a long-haired woman clad in a white robe staring at her with a smirk.

It is the same woman that she saw yesterday!

She freezes on the spot and her eyes widen, feeling the same chill running down her spine with the stare so deep.

"Right, Siyeon?" Yoohyeon's voice breaks her train of thoughts, momentarily bringing her attention back onto her best friend again.

Siyeon quickly get herself together, "Hmm? What?"

"You're not listening to me again, Lee Siyeon!" Yoohyeon laments at the easily distracted girl. "I was saying that at least the slaughtered chicken will serve that ahjumma a sumptuous meal tonight."

"Oh," Siyeon forces a smile. "Yeah, I thought so too."

"Maybe we should get a chicken too..."

And when Siyeon turns and look again, the woman is no longer there anymore.

There is a moment of relief.

Yes, she must be seeing things.

Fortunately, Yoohyeon doesn't pursue further and her curious peeks only last for a moment but Siyeon's paranoidism has only just begun as they continue their journey to school.

*******

The first weird incident that Siyeon encounters happens in the school's restroom.

"Quick, Kim Yoohyeon, accompany me to the toilet! My pee is coming out!" Siyeon hurries her steps as she forcefully drags Yoohyeon along with her, leaving behind Yubin who is wondering just what kind of trick are they pulling now to avoid attending the next lecture.

"That's why I asked you to come with me before the lecture started but you refused!" Yoohyeon laments.

"How would I know that the lecture will run over time?"

A trip to the toilet should be simple and straightforward like what their high school teacher had told them --- get your business done and get out. The sound of gushing water fills the restroom as Yubin helps Yoohyeon with washing of the stain on the shirt that the latter had accidentally spilled her kimchi soup onto just now. And the door slams shut behind them as Siyeon rushes into an empty cubicle, and she exhales a deep breath of satisfaction when she finally releases herself.

Lesson learnt --- never ever trust professor who says that the lecture will end on time.

"Bye, we're leaving, Lee Siyeon!"

"Wai-wait for me! I'm going to be done soon!" Siyeon reaches her arm out to the side wall and fumbles for the toilet paper, only to realise that there isn't any. "Shit."

Just then, a hand appears from below with a full roll of toilet paper. Just in time when she needs it.

" _Ah_ , thanks, neighbour."

"Are you done, Lee Siyeon? We are really leaving!" A voice full of irritation comes rushing her again and Siyeon can hear footsteps closing in before the repetitive violent banging onto her cubicle's door. It must be Yoohyeon.

"You're so dead when I come out, Kim Yoohyeon!"

The door opens and Siyeon was about to pounce onto Yoohyeon when the sight of Yubin greets her with that usual pair of non-chalant eyes staring at her with a stern gaze, and her target is cautiously peeping her head out from behind the girl.

"Hi, Yubin!" Siyeon grins foolishly and feigns ignorance before retrieving her arm that is awkwardly hanging in the air. "I'm going to wash my hands."

Yubin crosses her arms and sighs, seriously contemplating whether she should still remain friends with these two childish person as Siyeon brushes past her. Given her outstanding ability, she can definitely find better friends. "We'll wait for you outside."

The water flows from the tap and Siyeon uses this opportunity to drench her face to keep herself awake for the next lecture. Then, from the mirror, she sees something out of the ordinary --- all the cubicle's doors are open.

_Wait, no one was here?_

Siyeon swallows a mouthful of bewilderment.

_.....Who had passed her the toilet roll then?_

*******

"You really, really saw no one else in the toilet?" Siyeon whispers to the girl beside her as she spins the pen in her hand anxiously.

"For the nth time, Lee Siyeon," Yoohyeon exhales a deep breath. "I said no. The toilet was empty. The three of us were the only one in there just now!"

The frown on Siyeon's forehead deepens as she inches closer to her, "And... neither of you passed me that roll of toilet paper too?"

"No, I---,"

"Shhh..." Yubin looks over and shushes the two girls. "I know the two of you are not interested in studying but doesn't mean it's the same for others as well."

"Okay," Siyeon keeps mum as she retreats back into her seat. "The nerd wins today."

The whole lecture has been nothing but a torture for both Siyeon and Yoohyeon. Algorithm is hard but staying focus is even harder. The equations on the screen seem unsolvable and the professor's dull voice sounds like a perfect lullaby for an afternoon nap. Siyeon has become so restless that she starts to doodle on her notes.

And that is when the second incident happens.

The lesson continues on as her eyelid is drooping lower and she almost falls asleep until she suddenly feels a sharp pain on her arm that is supporting her head. Her world is instantly shaken awake and the arm gives way, causing her chin to fall and land hard on the moveable desk while the pen in her hand tumbles down onto the carpet floor. 

"Fuck," Siyeon curses under her breath, totally wide awake now and she brings her gaze to her usual partner in crime who has somehow betrayed her today.

She was about to take her revenge when the other girl beside Yoohyeon averts her gaze from her lecture note to her again. _Oh no_ , another round of inevitable scolding is coming. Just how lucky Kim Yoohyeon is to have Yubin protecting her every time.

"I told you guys, if you don't want to study, get out," Yubin whispers as she looks straight into Siyeon's eyes, in which the latter feels maligned because she wasn't even the one who started it. "This is a lecture hall, not a playground."

"I---,"

"Yeah, Lee Siyeon," Yoohyeon giggles with a grin of victory. "Stop disturbing the others who's actually trying to study."

_Just you wait, Kim Yoohyeon._

Siyeon scans the carpet floor for her missing pen which she finds is two seats away from her. Too bad, no one is sitting beside her today if not, she could have asked them to take it for her. Gliding her body down the seat, she reaches her leg out and tries to roll the target back to her side but it is too far. Then, just when she has forgotten about the toilet roll's incident, she sees the pen rolling towards her on its own.

_What...? How...?_

The pen stops right in front of her shoes and Siyeon only continues to stare at it in shock. She thinks that she might really be seeing ghosts.

*******

A smirk shows up on the face of the figure in the corner of the hall, like a predator chasing after its prey.

Except that this time, there will be no more chasing ---

Because the prey has fallen right into her trap.

How easy and..... interesting.

"I got you, Lee Siyeon," Minji whispers as she fixes a piercing gaze onto her panicking target. "Don't ever try to escape from me." And she grits her teeth together, fearful enough to scare away other souls. "Because... you can't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi people,
> 
> That's it for Chapter 2! I'm not sure if it's too confusing for y'all because I have this problem where my story often veers off from my main plot as I write. And I might end up writing dialogues / scenes that may not be necessary / relevant. Which is why Minji's and Siyeon's interactions haven't started yet but it will happen in the next chapter XD
> 
> Also, although the pairing in this story is Singji, as I like to give my characters some room for development, so time to time, I will also include their interactions with other side characters. The story might go abit slow instead of being straight to the point.
> 
> Do let me know if you have any questions!  
> P.S. English is not my first language too so let me apologise first if it's hard to understand what I've written or any other grammatical and expression errors.
> 
> Thanks for reading!   
> Cheers and ciao~! :D


	4. The Third-Eyed Girl

"Arghh, get off me!!!"

"Answer me, Lee Siyeon," A loud _thud_ echoes through the four walls of the room, shaking the quiet night awake and the hoarse voice from the ceiling above comes out as an eerie whisper. "Why? Why can you see me?!"

"I don't know! I don't know!"

"Come on, tell me the truth and I will go easy on you."

There really isn't any logical explanation for this. Siyeon is convinced that there really isn't. Everything was going according to her plan a while ago when she managed to get her two friends to accompany her on the way home after multiple pleadings. Then there came a fortunate news when she saw her dad slumped against the dining table with opened bottles of beer, totally knocked out.

Until a strong gust of wind stormed into her room before the door closed right behind her. And right now, everything has changed. Siyeon is held paralysed on her own bed against an unknown force, and the lady in white that she has been fearing is sitting right on top of her stomach, long nails protrudes from the palms that have landed on both sides of the head of the trapped girl, and the terrifying stern gaze only leaves her trembling in fear.

The ground below shakes from the impact.

"What--- I really have no idea what you are talking about!"

Minji shakes her head, "How annoying."

"Please..." Siyeon pleads desperately as she averts her shaking gaze towards the amulet on her neck before closing her eyes and starts chanting prayers in her heart. "Please let me go. I will burn you whatever you want --- clothes, handphone, bungalow, money or if you're lonely, I can burn you a boyfriend or girlfriend. Anything you like."

"Interesting," A frown takes over Minji's face at the bizarre words as she continues to watch the girl below her intensively, her expression remains cold like always. "Very interesting. You're still acting like you don't know anything? Playing the victim card now? But surely," And a brief smirk lifts off from the corner of her mouth, "You've heard of the name Kim Minji?"

Thinking that it's best to minimise any interaction with the lady, Siyeon only shakes her head vigorously as she tries to move her body but it seems as if every inches of her muscle below her neck are being framed firmly onto her bed. Only now, she realises how awful it feels to be losing control of her own body. And her eyes stay shut, as if all the bad things will go away by themselves if she continues to ignore them. Just like how she has always done so.

"Then do ask around. Let the others tell you how many souls I've caught and how many of them actually ended up having no chance to reincarnate at all."

"Why would I need a reincarnation? I am not dead!"

"Good, continue your denial."

The girl below her continues to ignore her words as the struggle to break free carries on.

From a side glance, Minji spots a pot of jasmine flowers near the corner of the window. With a straight gaze, she tears a petal off and severes it from the bouquet. The lone petal floats in the air and subsequently lands onto the trapped girl's left cheek.

The skin below Siyeon's eyes twitches and Minji blows onto the petal, knowing how ticklish it can get.

"Hey..."

It is a somewhat entertaining sight to watch. How long has it been since Minji last had someone held under the mercy of her amusement --- to do anything she wants to and play with the poor girl's mind.

Probably too ashamed, Siyeon clenches her teeth as shades of red paint across her face, "Yo-you better let me go or I'll call the police!"

How absurd... so absurd that Minji feels like laughing. It is one of the funniest joke that she has ever heard in the longest time. So she is going to call the cops... for what? To put a ghost behind bars? Surely, an exorcist would be a better candidate? Although if an exorcist does come, she is sure that Lee Siyeon would be the one who has to go instead of her.

"Take the phone and call them then," Minji says sarcastically, as if she is throwing the girl a challenge. Or it could be a lesson. "Go ahead. I'm not stopping you."

"Anybody outside?!" Siyeon begins to shout, her desperate eyes peer over to the opened windows, appealing for any miracles to help her escape. "Dad! Dad! Help me!"

Minji shakes her head at the sight.

Humans or souls, no matter how many centuries have passed, they are still the same --- pathetic.

Deciding that she has had enough fun and not wanting to waste any more time by letting her stay on the living world drags on, Minji reaches her arm into her pocket for the soul jar, wanting to end things for Siyeon once and for all. Until... a familiar voice strikes across her head and stops her.

_"He didn't harm anyone."_

_"You've changed, Minji."_

Perhaps she did change. And it really does seem so.

Maybe it is because time has allowed her to think a lot or because her stance is beginning to shift, Minji doesn't know. But somehow, Bora's words are starting to affect her especially seeing how much the girl is struggling and her grasp in her pocket is starting to loosen. Another chance would be better? After all, like a human, a soul deserves an equal right for appeal, don't they? In the end, she pushes the jar back into its original position.

"Stop trying, you'll only hurt yourself." Minji sighs, the tone of her voice calms down as she lifts herself off the girl. How stupid, stupid and stupid. "I've seen far too many like you who think that they are doing the right thing, being protective and watching over their loved ones when in fact, they are just selfish and manipulative souls who only think about themselves." And she turns to Siyeon who has finally willing to open her eyes to properly look at her. So clear and glossy. A pity, what a pity. "And that includes you. But what's the point? At the end of the day, no matter how much they want to be recognised, they are just dead souls who ultimately have to be forgotten by people."

"But what has that got to do with me?"

"What I am saying is, you and your loved ones are not in the same world anymore. The matters of the living world don't concern you anymore. You should come with me."

"W-wait, is this some kind of misunderstanding? Ha-have you gotten the wrong person?" Siyeon asks timidly, her voice comes out in a higher pitch than usual and full of eagerness to explain herself out of the supposedly misunderstanding. "Hey, look at me properly!" Franticness fills her face. "I'm a human! A perfectly alive human! I am still breathing and my skin is warm. I am not a ghost or soul or anything else that you're looking for!"

"But I am a ghost and a dream guardian to be exact," Minji turns around with a pair of crossed arms, her expression full of disbelief before it quickly turns stiff again. She has never ever encountered such a stubborn soul before. How troublesome. If only she had captured her just now as usual instead of going around in circles right now. "I've been very patient with you, my friend. Patience that I've never given to anyone." And the expression on her face darkens. "Now, come out of the human's body immediately or I will force you out of it! And if I do, you will know that it will hurt, very badly."

"Aish...Are you _fucking_ deaf or what?! Haven't you heard me?! I said I am a human! Not a ghost!"

A crease of displeasure appears between Minji's brows which is running deeper as each second passes by. She feels the red on her neck rising because of the stubborness that the girl has displayed --- Bora was wrong, these souls will ever never appreciate the chance given to them and she regretted heeding the advice. Furthermore, the fact that Siyeon had just raised her voice at her does not sit well in her heart. How dare she? For centuries, nobody has ever dared to speak with her in this tone.

"Don't hold a grudge on me, Lee Siyeon. You asked for it."

"Wh-what are you going to do?!"

The same soul jar that Minji had forsaken just now re-appears right back in front of Siyeon's eyes.

"You've wandered enough. It's time for you to go back to where you originally belonged to."

"Wait---,"

The lid of the jar opens. Siyeon watches with widened eyes in horror as a shower of luminescent rains down right onto her chest like a shockwave. A sea of white engulfs her sight and for a moment, she can't feel any of her senses except for the gravitational force that is slowly pulling her towards the opening like a wormhole. 

The only difference is that this isn't a tunnel back to the past... but towards death.

"Arghh---,"

The force intensifies, "I told you it will hurt."

And the unfeeling expression on the lady's face that closes in is the last thing that Siyeon sees before she feels her eyes gradually giving in to the drooping eyelids.

"You should have taken the chance when you had one."

Then, as quickly as it begins, it suddenly stops.

The piercing light disappears like a flash, bringing the room back to a total still. A high-pitched wheeze escapes from Siyeon's airway as her eyes shoot open, the tensed up body collapses onto the bed upon the sudden release of force. She breathes hard, trying to get as much oxygen as she can, too much that she almost chokes on it.

Sitting up, her eyes start darting around the room suspiciously, not leaving any possible corner uncovered. Cold sweats break out on her forehead and a big gulp of fear slips down her throat. Only when she realises that the lady is indeed out of sight, she hurries to the windows and swiftly closes them all before dropping herself down onto the space next to her bed. 

The comfort sends deep breaths of relief into the air.

What the fuck just happened?

*******

Minji's feet scrape across the stones and litters on the ground as she tries to balance herself from the whatever violent gravity pull that has caught her off guard and managed to hoist her out of Siyeon's house.

This is a first. All because of her carelessness.

"You almost sucked a living soul out of the human's body!" The back of a similarly-dressed figure greets Minji's sight from a distance, the edge of the long white robe on her body lifts into the air as the cold wind blows.

A furrowed brow of irritation lifts off the top of her eyes as Minji picks herself up and dusts the bits of sands and dirt off her own white robe with a single hand, "You messed up my KPI, my friend," And her eyes drop to the single stripe on the other's boot, a scoff let itself out of her mouth, "A rookie... How daring of you, who do you think you are to be meddling with my business? Name? Age? Which district did you come from?"

"If you dare to lay another finger on my human, I will report you for misusing your role as a Dream Guardian!"

"Your human?" Minji's usual monotonous tone takes a stance of a questioning one. She eyes the figure suspiciously, her mind seemingly beginning to grasp an understanding of what's going on. A Dream Guardian developing feelings and sympathy for souls isn't an uncommon sight. It is just plain absurd. One stubborn soul is enough, she can't believe that a Dream Guardian will follow the lead. "I won't stop you but let me straighten out the facts for you, I won't be investigated. Instead, you... disrupting a Dream Guardian's duties and misusing your role as a Dream Guardian by helping a Nightmare to inhabit a human's body, that's two counts of offences."

"She is not a ghost nor a Nightmare---,"

There is a tinge hesitation in the trembling voice, a little too uneasy for her liking. Because a Dream Guardian should be straightforward and decisive in her duty, not a cowardice who doesn't even communicate directly with her face-to-face. WIth that kind of personality... Minji wonders how did she even become one?

"We can let the judge decide that."

Minji turns around and was about to leave, preparing to report the matter when she hears something unexpected.

"Wait..." The voice trembles against the wind. "That girl, Lee Siyeon... she is special."

There is a pause and Minji halts her steps while standing in the same position, waiting for the unsaid words that she knows would complete the doubts in her mind.

"She can see ghosts."

*******

There was a time when Siyeon was fearless --- she loved to play hide-and-seek and would find the darkest and the most remote corner in the area to hide into, she would hop onto a train ride alone and wander around the town freely with only a few pounds and a toy credit card in her pocket. She was sociable and would smile at anyone who crossed her path, even with a poster of a wanted criminal right in front of her face, she wasn't fazed.

_"Siyeon, remember what mummy had told you? You cannot wander off on your own like that. There are many bad guys out there who like to catch naughty children."_

_"I'm sorry, mummy. I won't do it again."_

There was a time when Siyeon felt like she was the happiest kid in the world --- everyday, her dad would send her off to school in the morning with their lorry truck and drop her mum off in the market before heading to work. And when the night comes, her dad would return home to a house full of the smell of home-cooked dinner. Also, every weekend, without fail, her mum and dad would bring her to the fast food restaurant down the street hand in hand and indulge her with her favourite cheeseburger. 

_"How was the first day of school for our Siyeonie?"_

_"I drew a picture of daddy, mummy and me!"_

_"Oh, did you? Come here, let daddy take a look at how well our Siyeonie's drawing is!"_

And her favourite childhood memories of all was when her dad built a small playground for her at the back of their house --- nothing too fancy compared to the one in the city (not like she had seen one before) --- just a swing, a water slide and a mini roller-coaster.

Even so, that was enough.

They could spend all day there.

But when Siyeon turned six, everything changed.

Her dad faced an early retrenchment. Their source of income was cut, her dad and mum stopped smiling and soon, they stopped holding her hands and bringing her out together like before. The roller-coaster at the back of her house also stopped running because they couldn't afford to pay an extra set of electrical bill. Quarrels became frequent --- shoutings filled Siyeon's night and the photo frame on the wall got broken so often that Siyeon would use her savings to buy a new one. When her savings run out, she would find a glue in her house and used it to fix the cracks. That was her favourite family photo.

But no matter how many times she tried to fix the cracks, they only get bigger each time, to the point when it couldn't be fixed anymore.

And eventually, her mum left the house one day, so abruptly that Siyeon thought that her mum was just going off to a holiday trip and had probably forgotten to bring them along. So, she would wait everyday at the door, raining or not, until she felt her eyelids drooping down, only then would she willingly return to her bed.

But as spring moved onto winter, she realised that her mum was never going to come back.

_"Mummy..."_

_"That woman doesn't want you anymore!" Her dad would say, his face flushed with red from the bottle of beer in his hand. "Listen, Lee Siyeon, from now on, you only have me! Only your daddy will love you! No one else will!"_

_"Mummy wouldn't abandon me..."_

_A loud rattle echoed in the house as pieces of shattered glasses from the beer bottle littered the floor. "I told you before that the woman is not your mummy! Do you not understand? She doesn't deserve to be one!"_

That year, Siyeon got into a terrible accident and became very sick, to the point that she stopped breathing.

Fortunately, miracle existed.

On the day that Siyeon woke up from her coma in the hospital, she saw many different faces glaring down at her. There were nurses, doctors, police officers and two other adults without uniforms whom she would later realise, to be social workers from the Child Welfare Protective Service. They were nice, patient, gave her food and would sit down to talk to her.

_"We didn't find any other bruises on her body besides the injury on her head but we are quite concerned about her being underweight," She overhears the doctor discussing about her condition to one of the social workers. "Her nutrients value isn't on par with her peers of the same-age. She is on the spectrum of being malnourished."_

_"I see some signs of neglect."_

_Her colleague nods, "Yeah, I agree."_

_"Possible emotional abuse too based on our brief conversation just now. I might need more interactions with her to establish that conclusion."_

The social workers asked her a series of questions but Siyeon was relieved that they didn't become overly pushy with questions that she didn't feel like answering.

_"Where is my daddy?" Siyeon asks._

_The social worker gives her a gentle smile, "Like Siyeon-ssi, your daddy is sick. He will have to stay with us for a while."_

_"Did he hurt his head too like me?"_

_"Hmm, you can put it that way too."_

It was the first time that Siyeon didn't get to see her dad for more than a day. And she felt like crying.

Even on the day that Siyeon was discharged from the hospital, she didn't get to see him. Instead, what came was the news that she wouldn't be going back to her house as she was being introduced to a fancy-looking middle-aged lady, who didn't really look 'middle-aged'.

_"Say hi, this is Auntie Kwon." The social worker says as she pushes the hesitating girl forward. "You will be staying with her temporarily."_

_"Hello, darling," The middle-aged lady, or Auntie Kwon approaches her with cautious steps, not wanting to scare Siyeon away for being too aggressively friendly. "Your name is Siyeon, am I right? Do you like lollipops?"_

Auntie Kwon lived close to Seoul and her house ws huge. Just the living room itself was double the size of her house, not to mention the backyard and the pool area. The bedroom that Siyeon occupied was decorated with her favourite blue wallpaper. Breakfast was croissant and honey star cereals, lunch was fibre-packed vegetable soup and dinner was steamed cod fish with brown rice.

Not only was Auntie Kwon rich, she was also nice. She bought her candies and books. On certain days, she would bring Siyeon out to the mall and buy her new clothes. Whenever there are lightnings and thunder, she would come into her room to check on her.

Life was carefree and extravagant but there came this one night, when all the suppressed emotions came out in the form of tears.

_"Hush, darling..."_

_"I miss my dad and mum..." Siyeon sobs as Auntie Kwon embraces her into a tight hug, palm rubbing across the girl's back to soothe her down. "Why aren't they coming to fetch me home? Do they not want me anymore?"_

_"It's okay, Auntie Kwon is here with you."_

A visit by her dad was arranged not long after with the presence of Auntie Kwon and the social workers.

_"Daddy..."_

_"Be a good girl and listen to Auntie Kwon," Siyeon nods her head as she receives the bunny toy from her dad. "Daddy misses Siyeonie too. I will work harder to find a job so that I can bring you home with me. Alright?"_

_"Promise? Whoever breaks the promise is a pig."_

_"Yes, it's a promise."_

Siyeon slept the soundest that night, with the bunny toy held tight in her arms and the promise by her dad to fetch her home deep in her heart.

She had her first ghost-sighting experience during her first month's stay in Auntie Kwon's house, which she hadn't realised that what she saw was in fact, a ghost. It happened when Auntie Kwon decided to cook that day, leaving Siyeon all by herself to play with the puzzles. 

_"It's dinner time, my darling," Auntie Kwon's voice sounds from downstairs. "Please put away everything that you are doing and come down right now."_

_Shrieks of excitement and overjoyous greet the owner of the house as Siyeon come dashing down the flight of stairs with a portrait frame in her arms._

_"May I know what is it that got my darling so excited?"_

_"I completed the puzzle!" Siyeon grins proudly as she shoves the frame of the completed 300-pieces Snow White puzzle into Auntie Kwon's sight._

_"Wow, that's amazing, our Siyeonie!" Auntie Kwon applauds and pats the girl's head. "How about some ice-cream later once we're done with dinner." And she moves over to the fridge. "What flavour would you like to have? Vanilla? Strawberry? Chocolate?"_

_"Vanilla! And Strawberry for Eugene!"_

_Now, it's Auntie Kwon's turn to be puzzled, "Who is Eugene?"_

_And when she follows the direction of Siyeon's finger which points to the lone photo of her late husband on the wall, she is left speechless. "That's Uncle Eugene! He helped me with the puzzles."_

Auntie Kwon tried not to think about it but similar incidents happened again, one after another, for the second time, third time, forth time and when it reached the fifth time, she could not take it anymore. Frightened by the paranormal incidents, she decided to send the girl away. And Siyeon would spend the rest of her foster life moving in and out of places, like an abandoned child wanted by nobody.

_"I'm sorry, I really can't keep her anymore." Siyeon hears her forth foster mum say to the social worker as she is being escorted out of the house._

_The social worker sighs, "Won't you think about it?"_

_"I know it's really irresponsible of me but I have two children of my own in the house. I can't let this girl roaming around the house, talking about their grandfather and grandmother who have already passed away ten years ago." The foster mum squats down with a look of guilt, as if she is afraid to meet Siyeon's gaze. "I'm really sorry, child. I hope you will find a good family who is willing to take you in."_

_And as Siyeon moves her gaze past her foster mum, she sees the two young companion looking at her with a face full of sadness. Goodbye, she thinks._

In the end, she was arranged to stay in an orphanage who was willing to accept her until months later, her dad was permitted to take her home. However, back at home, things were not much different, buildings were not as tall and roads were wider, she would come across many strangers, boys and girls, young and old, not knowing that they were ghosts until the people around her started talking among themselves and giving her weird stares.

_"What do you want to buy, little girl?" The store owner asks irritably as she keeps a close watch on Siyeon who has been shuffling back and forth around the snack truck, her palm gliding across the glass panels of the ice cream fridge._

_Siyeon hesitates for a while, and then holds up two fingers, "I want two vanilla ice cream bar."_

_"Which brand do you want? Aish, it's all there," The store owner hastily says as her finger points towards the ice cream fridge that Siyeon was looking at. "Choose yourself!" Then she glares at Siyeon, "And remember to pay. Don't think about running away. I'll be watching."_

_Feeling uneasy, Siyeon waits for the store owner to look away before sliding open the fridge and beginning to choose excitedly. A second voice joins the back of the truck and she overhears the two adults talking about some middle-school kids who had ran off with her ice-cream a few days ago._

_"Siyeon!"_

_Turning around, Siyeon grins widely when she sees her new friend running towards her and joining her in the choosing, "Seo-woo, which one do you want?"_

_"I want the same as Siyeon."_

_"Okie," Siyeon says as she takes the one with the fish-shape on the wrap. "Let's be cats today. We'll eat fishes," They giggle. "With vanilla."_

_"Kid! Are you done or not?"_

_The store owner re-appears into her vision and Siyeon sees a second set of eyes glaring at her visibly behind the owner as she places the two ice-cream waffles onto the counter._

_"How much are these?" Siyeon asks timidly._

_"Hey, hey," The intruder hisses, "Come over here." And she quickly motions the store owner towards her side before grabbing her arms. "That's the girl I told you about the other day. Remember? The one who brought my son to his grandfather's grave, saying that he missed him."_

_The store owner lifts a brow as she eyes Siyeon warily before slowly approaching her, "6000 won."_

_Siyeon fumbles her pocket for the notes and counts them before placing the correct amount on the counter. Seeing that the store owner has affirmed the amount, she turns towards her new friend before grabbing her hands and walking away, "Come on, let's go to my house."_

_"See, see, she is talking to herself again."_

_"This is really creepy."_

_"Not sure if it is true, but I heard from my friends that she actually stopped breathing in the hospital. The doctors and nurses were ready to pronounce her dead but then, her heart started beating again out of nowhere. I bet those spirits must have followed her home."_

_The store owner shivers as she feels a sudden rush of cold wind coming towards her, "Urg, I think I need to go to the temple tomorrow to pray. You should come too."_

_"Yeah, I better..."_

Rumours spread like wild fire and the gossips among the neighbourhood's aunties only fuelled its speediness. Nobody cared to check for its authenticity, even if the stories were too exaggerated to believe in, as long as there was something to talk about in the dining table.

_Sounds of whistle and rowdiness disturb the serene afternoon. Siyeon's father is knocked out in an afternoon nap and she takes the chance to sneak out of the house. There, on the field, she sees her neighbours and classmates playing a friendly basketball match together._

_"Can I join?" Siyeon asksas she runs towards them excitedly._

_"Hey, Siyeon! Of course! Catch the ball!"_

_But Siyeon is knocked down onto the grass before she can even go for a chase and the incoming ball bounces off the culprit's chest. The taller figure turns around and stares down at her in disgust._

_"My mum said that you're a monster! And we don't like to play with a monster!"_

_The rest of the team gather around her with curious eyes but none of them actually bother to help her up, all seemingly afraid of the bigger-build leader._

_Siyeon begins sobbing at the overwhelming stares as she rubs the graze on her knee in pain, "I'm not a monster!"_

_"You are!" He says as he spits at her. "Don't come near us with your dirty hands! Don't you always have many new friends to play with? Go hang out with them!"_

Siyeon's life was never the same from that day onwards. She became paranoid, distanced and quiet. She would have her lunch alone in the school toilet. Her classmates would exclude her from activities and outings, as if she didn't exist. One day, she would find red-inked marker scribbles on her desk that wrote 'MONSTER!'. 

She didn't go home that day. Instead, she hid herself under the bridge and buried herself with tears.

Until.....

_"Oh, hey, we found a little girl over here!"_

_"But why is she crying?"_

_"Hmm...I guess she is really sad..."_

_"Uh-oh, we should stop her tears. If not, the river is going to overflow and we will all drown."_

.....she found Master Park.

*******

"Lee Siyeon..."

It is all pitch black and quiet in the middle of the night. The neighbourhood has fallen into a deep slumber and Siyeon lays motionlessly on her bed, her eyes closed and is ready to give in to her fatigue. But a set of husky voice brushes across her ears, again, again and again. Her consciousness shoots wide awake and her body freezes instantly. _What was that?_ Uncertain if that was just a hallucination or a real situation, Siyeon grabs the cover tentatively and pulls it above her head. 

"I know you can see me..."

Her teeth clenches together in fear. The familiarity comes right back and engulfs all of her senses, as if she is cursed to remember all the painful and unwanted memories forever, right in her heart.

"Come on, talk to me, I'm bored..."

Don't look, don't talk, don't respond. Don't look, don't talk, don't respond. Don't look, don't talk, don't respond. Important things must be repeated three times. As long as you don't give them any reactions, they will go away by themselves. That was what Master Park had told her before when she was six.

"Oh, look at what a scaredy-cat we have here!"

"Now she is pretending that she can't hear us."

"What a pity, I would love to possess this body one day."

Grabbing the pillow on her sides, Siyeon turns to her side and clutches them close to her ears, as if she would be able to tune out the unnecessary noises. She continues to bury herself in the cover and keeps her eyes fully shut. 

_Go away. Go away, Go away._

As the minute-hand on the clock continues to move, she sees the sun rises. She didn't manage to catch a glimpse of sleep for the whole night.

*******

The morning sun has just risen but outside the door of the temple, the persistent knockings have awaken the stray dogs that the monks have accepted into their home, who then starts barking at the guest. Anxiety has been keeping Siyeon up all night and she can't wait anymore. The amulet isn't working anymore and it creates a fear in her mind as if everyday, she has to constantly worry about a ghost who can take her life anywhere and anytime. 

"Master Park! Open the door!"

She needs a new and a working one desperately.

"Master Park! Are you inside?"

The door finally creaks open and Siyeon retrieves her arm as the youngest disciple comes into her sight, "Oh, it's you, Siyeon noona, good morning!" And he stretches his arms while letting out a big yawn. "Why are you here so early? Our doors are not even opened yet!"

"Oh hey, Jongho," Siyeon pushes her way through the half-opened doors, brushing past the sleepy guy and enters the temple eagerly, almost forgetting to take off her shoes until the younger one reminds her. "I need to see Master Park," Her gaze strains and stretches into the temple hall, hoping that she is in time to catch up with Master Park before he leaves for his daily morning walk. "Is he around?"

"You should have come earlier, noona."

Siyeon blinks her eyes in disbelief, seemingly already foreseeing the upcoming bad news, "Don't tell me that he went up to the mountain again?" 

Jongho grins sheepishly, "Yeah, he just left last night. You know how much Master Park loves the sunrise over the top of the mountain, especially with a cup of hot tea in his hand and a paint brush in his other hand. He is always telling us how beautiful the sight is."

"Yeah," Siyeon let out a dry laugh and nods, the disappointment weighing down on her shoulders. "It must be really beautiful up there."

Master Park, although only moved into the town twenty years ago, is a humble and helpful man who is well-respected by the people in the neighbourhood. The temple, on the surface, appears to be just a form of dedication towards his faith, but only the people in the community truly knows how many abandoned babies and troubled young teens he has manged to help. And Siyeon was one of them.

But there is something more than just that.

Just like herself, Master Park, too, is able to communicate with the netherworld. And the amulet, was something that he had given to her to keep her out of harm.

_"What is this, Master Park?" Six year-old Siyeon asked as she frowned at the red-string necklace that was gifted to her._

_"This is called an amulet," Master Park explained. "Carry this amulet with you all the time, Siyeon. You need not be afraid anymore. Starting from tody, you won't see anything that you wouldn't want to anymore and the ghosts also wouldn't be able to harass you anymore."_

_"Really?"_

_"Yes, are you happy?"_

_Siyeon nodded profusely, "Very!"_

"Anyway, noona, what do you need from Master Park? Perhaps I can help you?" Jongho asks enthusiastically.

Siyeon only sighs as she shoots the younger disciple a troubled gaze, knowing that nobody can help her except for Master Park. Strolling past Jongho, she gives him a pat on his shoulders on her way out, "It's okay, Jongho. I'll just come back next time."

"How about you stay for breakfast, noona?"

"Thanks Jongho," Siyeon forces a smile. "But maybe not today." And she waves goodbye while exiting the temple without turning around, leaving the young disciple staring in bewilderment.

For the first time in her whole life, Siyeon realises that there is a way to leave the temple without hoping for hope.

*******

"Okay, class, today, we're going to talk about the history of our country's technology development. If we turn to page 45 of your lecture notes..."

An efficient way to fall asleep, Siyeon found out, is not about how boring the lecture is. Instead, it depends on how much you like the professor who is standing at the front of the lecture hall, even if they are just reading off the texts in the lecture notes in the name of imparting important knowledge to the students.

What a coincidence, Siyeon doesn't like Professor Yoo.

"Hey, you, the one sitting at the fifth row next to the wall," Professor Yoo says as his fingers point towards a certain direction. "Come up here and draw for us the timeline of our country's main technology development milestone."

"Lee Siyeon, wake up..."

A shockwave is sent all over her body as her eyes shoot open when she feels Yoohyeon nudging her. And now, suddenly, all eyes are on her, "Huh? What?"

"Professor Yoo is calling you to draw this timeline thing," Yoohyeon says as she hurriedly slips a folded piece of paper into Siyeon's hand. "It's Yubin's. Don't forget to thank her later. And me as well."

"Student! What are you waiting for?"

With the answer sheet in her hand, Siyeon jostles past the seats and scrambles down the flight of stairs.

"Hurry up!" Professor Yoo urges before turning back to the students. "You all have to buckle up! Your grades are nowhere close to the previous batch. If the country have to depend on people like you, we would definitely lose out!"

And from afar, even with her back facing her, Siyeon can feel the disappointment in Yubin's eyes. She has a lot of explanation to do later.

*******

"There's still some time to dinner. Where are you guys going?" Yubin asks, her eyes especially focused on the usually talkative girl who is unusually quiet and hasn't been herself for the past few days.

Yoohyeon stretches her arms into the air, "Of course we're going to our warehouse!" And she throws a provocative smirk towards her gaming buddy. "My hands have been itching for a good gameplay. Up for a solo match?"

"Sorry," Siyeon says, her eyes darting towards Yoohyeon with an apologetic look before averting to Yubin's worrying one. "I think I'm going home first. I'm a bit tired."

"Eh? Come on, don't be afraid of losing."

Yubin lunges herself forward and hastily grasps hold onto the figure who is about to leave, "Wait, are you okay? Is it your appa? Did he say or do something again?"

"Yeah, did he say any nasty stuff to you again?" Yoohyeon eagerly adds on, shooting her friend a concerned look.

"Don't worry, he was dead drunk the other night, haven't got a chance to even speak with him, what's more quarrel," Siyeon reassures, removing Yubin's hands from her own. "I just didn't sleep well last night."

"Oh..."

"I'm going off then, gonna catch up on my beauty sleep."

"Tsk, beauty sleep?" Yoohyeon scoffs. "How shameless, Lee Siyeon. Don't tell anybody that we're friends."

"Don't be jealous that I'm prettier than you, Kim Yoohyeon!" Siyeon retorts as she waves goodbye to her two friends. "Also, Yubin, you better keep a close watch on her!"

"Wasn't that what I've been doing always?"

"Ha, true!"

Yoohyeon's expression switches at the approaching figure behind her, "Shoo, Lee Siyeon, if you want to go home, just go. Don't talk too much!" 

*******

The door clicks open. Home sweet home.

Discarding her shoulder bag, Siyeon drags herself lazily across the floor and drops her tired body down onto her bed once she reaches her bedroom.

She is dead tired.

Then, she hears a click.

Another click.

And another click.

Carefully opening her eyes, Siyeon peers over at her room's door and keeps her gaze onto it. Suddenly, a loud rattle from the photo frame on the wall behind her startles her. And when she turns back around again, a set of blood-shot eyes is staring straight into hers.

"Lend me your body, just for a day. Please..."

And she screams.

*******

"I told you I am not a ghost..." Siyeon says, sitting on the floor beside her bed, with her arms wrapped around her knees as tears flow down her cheeks, which she doesn't even intend to hide anymore, even when the Dream Guardian who have assaulted her days ago is standing right in front of her.

So what if crying is an exposure of weakness? So be it. She is tired of caring about how people look at her.

"I didn't know before. Now I know."

"What do you know? You don't know anything."

"That's why I came back," Minji says non-chalantly as she raises the jar of poor soul that she has just captured, all thanks to the human. Five counts of escaping from the guardians and one count of intimidation, she definitely wouldn't allow her any chance of reincarnation. "And look at what we have here, a Nightmare."

The tear-stained face continues to flood itself with overflowing tears that couldn't be stopped no matter how much Siyeon tried to. And it only gets worse as she feels the unwavering stare from the Dream Guardian, as if she is watching a show. How embarrassing.

Lifting the sleeve of her sweater, Siyeon swiftly wipes her sadness away with her remaining dignity.

"What the fuck are you looking at?! Stop looking!" Siyeon howls as she shifts herself up her bed and hides under the cover, her body turning entirely away from the Dream Guardian, determined not to let her continue seeing this disgraceful sight. "Go away! Leave me alone!"

Feeling amused, Minji let out a brief chuckle as she approaches the figure, not sure if Lee Siyeon is actually pathetic or just simply... silly.

"Sleep well," Minji whispers without taking her gaze off the human. "I guess I'll be your bodyguard for the night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi people, sorry for the long wait!   
> Got caught up in work! And I had to edit it many times to make it decent XD
> 
> Hope it doesn't disappoint!   
> Enjoy!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I will be working from home on alternate weeks so..... here's something that I have been writing.  
> No promise on quick updates though since I'm still quite busy T-T
> 
> Hope you've enjoyed the first chapter.


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